


Jouska

by sayitwithwords



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Haikyuu - Freeform, M/M, Magical Realism, Romance, Tsukishima Kei x Yamaguchi Tadashi, Tsukiyama - Freeform, Yamaguchi Tadashi x Tsukishima Kei, Yamaguchi x Tsukishima, haikyuu!! - Freeform, hq!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-13
Updated: 2017-01-13
Packaged: 2018-09-17 03:38:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9302471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sayitwithwords/pseuds/sayitwithwords
Summary: Kei refuses to believe his best friend has a magical power, something simply non existent in our world. But in one of those nights, when they get off of bed to go run under a starry sky together, Tadashi might be planning to reveal his powers to him. And, in addiction, a sweet truth that could melt Kei's heart.





	

That was the best part of living in a rustic town. At midnight, there was no one in sight, a sky crowded with starts that lighted the whole street by itself and a comfortable silence that followed any passer-by through their way. It was such a small and reserved town the criminality rate was almost nonexistent, and that was probably one of the reasons why two teenagers had no fear of running through a corn field in the middle of the night. 

Their breaths and the rustling of plants being stepped on were the only sounds filling the air, apart from small chuckles when someone's foot got stuck on a root. Kei had a hard time understanding why he was always the one who tripped when he was such a good runner. It was hard to believe that he, a talented volleyball player full of graceful movements tripped almost a hundred times in corn roots, almost losing the race for Tadashi, his best friend.

Perhaps it was because his eyes diverted a lot to the sky so he could memorize most of it for later. Or, maybe, he tripped every time Tadashi giggled. Kei liked the sound of it, it brought him a warm feeling to know he was the cause. And there he was, tripping again. He took it as a confirmation. Yes, he tripped a lot because he thought about the adorable sound his best friend made every time he grunted in protest for getting his feet stuck on a root.

Kei had never lost a race in the corn fields. He always got distracted, tripped, got cramps in his legs, but he had never lost their usual midnight race. So, when he saw Tadashi jumping to his side and speeding away from him, surprise was the most simple way to describe his feelings. A weird sound escaped his lips, even, something he had never made before. He quickly moved, jumping two times over a root to release his foot. 

A series of short breathless giggles escorted his steps to the side of the lake, their designated finish line. At that point, Kei wondered why he still bothered to run, but his annoyance was quickly brushed to the side when he stepped into the glade. Even for someone who rarely expressed emotions, it was a wonderful view. There was not a night Kei would not gasp at the sight. 

The lake was small and lifeless, but the clear water reflected the sky and in nights like those, when the stars were out and bright, it all looked like a dream. To step into that lake was like stepping into the sky itself, how clear the water was. Kei blinked his thoughts away and watched as Tadashi stepped into the water, shoes and socks forgotten at the lakeside. 

He had a hard time telling people how he felt, he did. His family suffered to take an opinion out of him, and so did Tadashi. Even being the one who knew him better, there were a lot of things Kei managed to hide from his best friend. And one of those things - and he was certain of it himself - was how much he loved him. Their friendship was not new, it was a year-old one, so for everyone who asked, Tadashi always had a confident _'I love Tsukki!'_  at the tip of his tongue. 

It was obvious Kei liked him, otherwise they would not be friends. What Tadashi did not know was how deep that love became over the years.  
Kei thought about it while he took his shoes off. It was an amazing feeling to have someone who understood him so wholeheartedly. It did not matter how rough with words he was, Tadashi never left his side or gave up on their friendship. 

He was beautiful, passionate and gentle, everything Kei was not. He smiled at the tiniest thing and gave a part of him to every one who needed it. He helped, he cared and he always managed to bring a little bit of happiness to the people around him. Everything about Tadashi was love, including his flaws. Over the years, he somehow learned how to love himself - and, modesty aside, Kei had a hand in that -, but it was still a long way until his insecurities stopped playing such a huge role. 

Kei stepped into the water, eyes locked in Tadashi's smile. Behind that happy expression, a bullied child was still alive. Someone who was once physically weak and remembered about it constantly. A teenager that still doubted his strength and asked for help with things he knew how to do better than anyone. Tadashi was emotionally unstable, and although Kei hated to see him cry in times anxiety took its toll on him, he loved the fact his presence worked as a solution. 

An embrace from Kei and Tadashi's sobs got shorter and shorter, until there was nothing but cute sniffs. And every time he ruffled Tadashi's black hair, the boy hummed in contentment. He did not notice how much every little thing worked as an arrow to Kei's heart, and it was probably better that way - less complicated, since he did not want Tadashi to get hurt or concerned with not being able to return his feelings. 

"The water's warm, today."  
Kei blinked and nodded at his best friend, stomping closer to him. Tadashi's white t-shirt was glued to his torso due to a mild layer of perspiration from the race, but his beauty was impossible to ruin.  
"The sun was pretty strong in the afternoon, it warmed the water during the day." Kei stopped in the middle of the lake and waited for Tadashi to meet him there.

"Yeah. I like it in the Summer. There's no clouds covering all this beauty" He gestured to the sky and Kei looked up. "and it's warm."  
"And you feel good in the water. It runs in the family, right?"  
Tadashi blushed at his words and Kei had to clench his fist not to squeeze his best friend's cheek, adorably covered with freckles.

"I thought you didn't believe it? You always roll your eyes when I talk about it."  
And Kei did exactly that, he rolled his eyes at his friend's words. He found amazing that Tadashi spoke about his family's secret with certainty. His voice did not shake and his eyes were focused, which invited anyone to believe it, as ridiculous as it sounded. 

And it did sound made up. Kei knew Tadashi's entire family, the Yamaguchis, and he was already aware of the tale that ran from generation to generation: that every Yamaguchi had the mythical power of reading one's mind if they touched water. As Tadashi's grandfather explained to them once, if a Yamaguchi touched one person's body after touching water, they would be able to know what goes on in their mind. Simple but not so simple at the same time.

Of course Kei did not believe it, even if Tadashi promised multiple times that it was true. And he still didn't, his voice was loaded with sarcasm when he mentioned it.  
"I don't believe it. But it's nice that you finally won one of our races. You're getting better." He fixed his glasses and crossed his arms, watching as Tadashi stepped closer once more.  
"You always get to do something you want when you win. Do I get the same privilege?"

Kei's heart jumped and his blood seemed to run faster, even if he knew that it was all in his head. His face was still expressionless, but his mind was working endlessly, trying possible answers and their outcome. Tadashi's voice had sounded a bit flirty, but Kei did not want to think too much about it lest he was wrong.  
"Of course. Even though I always choose the same thing and you don't seem that mad about cleaning my room every week."

"It's fine." Tadashi smiled and leaned, grazing his fingertips against the water. "But I want something a little bit different, Tsukki."  
"What do you want, then?"  
The crickets seemed to sing louder when they both remained silent. From his peripheral vision, he noticed the starts shining brighter in their reflexion in the water. But it was probably all an illusion and he could not bring himself to shift his eyes away from Tadashi's just to prove it. Tadashi smiled and went back to his previous position. 

"I want to use my power on you. I want to read your thoughts with this water painted with stars."  
Kei was surprised for a second. But as soon as it came, it went by with the sound of a chuckle from his lips. Tadashi did not seem to mind his reaction much, he knew very well Kei would never mock him with negative intentions. 

"You're philosophical today. Victory looks well on you, I guess." They shared a smile. "I don't believe it, Tadashi."  
"Then everything's fine." He giggled and showed Kei his wet palm. "If you don't believe it, nothing bad will come out of it."  
And what a beautiful hand he had. Smaller, softer than his and asking to be kissed. Kei wanted to comply and kiss every single knuckle, but how weird would it be?

He would be in denial if he said he was one hundred percent comfortable with the idea of Tadashi testing his family's supposed power in him. Yes, he did not believe it, but it still brought a chill to his spine to imagine Tadashi being able to read his mind.  
Before he could make a choice though, that warm hand slid against his cheek. 

And he forgot about powers, crickets or stars. He forgot about the water and, for half a second, he forgot where he was. Because his eyes focused on Tadashi's lips and he wanted to lean, he wanted to touch them so bad. To taste them, to give them a little playful bite so he could hear that giggle he fed on every day. He replayed a thousand ways to tell Tadashi he loved him in his head and every possible answer from his best friend, but the words still did not roll out of his mouth.

Tadashi's lips parted like he wanted to say something, but nothing came out. A little bit like Kei felt at that moment. They were both speechless, looking at each other, and Kei had no idea how many minutes flew away as he blinked again.  
"Tsukki..."

Kei did not mind the fact Tadashi still called him by his last name - slightly changed into a pet name, yes, but still his last name -, but the emotion in his voice was something he had not heard in a long time. Last time he did was when Tadashi thanked him for saving him from the bullies at the park. It was a different situation from the present, but that gave Kei a hint Tadashi was happy about something. 

He wondered if Tadashi really had powers and he did not need to express his feelings in words. That seemed like the best situation, no matter how embarrassed it was for him. Tadashi's hand squeezed his cheek and he hissed, blinking back his thoughts. "That hurts, dumbass."

"Sorry." Tadashi giggled and caressed the same place he had squeezed seconds before. "Tsukki... do you know what _Jouska_ means?"  
Kei frowned at his friends words. There came Tadashi with one of those weird words he found on the internet. He loved to search for words with meanings online and excitedly tell everyone about them at school.

Kei did not mind it as it gave him an excuse to listen to Tadashi's voice, but he could not say he paid much attention to them either.  
Tadashi's chuckle caused his frown to grow. "No, I don't know what that means. And don't laugh at me, just because you're addicted to strange little words that..."  
" _Jouska_ is an hypothetical conversation you play in your head. Like... what you were doing minutes ago."

A cold shiver ran down Kei's body. He could feel himself blinking compulsively, a sign he was too shocked to move.  
Tadashi was still smiling, ignoring his friends state and running his fingers up and down Kei's cheek.  
"You don't need to wonder about my answers, you know how I feel ever since you saved me at that park." 

The fact that Tadashi was slowly proving the veracity of his family powers  was intensifying Kei's shock. On the other hand, a thought that he did not need to verbalize his thoughts was putting his heart to rest.  
"I know you're not good with words, so I'm happy you think of me that way." Kei parted his lips, but there was nothing he could say.

Tadashi was so close to him their noses were almost touching. If it was any other person, Kei would definitely step back, but Tadashi was not any other person. His feet moved further until their toes were touching under water.  
"Tsukki, I love you too. I love all your flaws too, they complement mine. We complement each other."

"You really... read my mind."  
Tadashi smiled, eyes glued on his lips. "Yeah. You're probably the only person who thinks my freckles are adorable. And if you lost the race because of my giggles, I'll use it against you every race from now on."

Kei felt his cheeks warming up while Tadashi pulled him by the arm, getting them both out of the water. The grass around the lake warmed his feet, but only that small hand had the power to warm his heart, even if it got him speechless.  
"Tsukki... You have a beautiful mind."

Tadashi touched his own mouth with his humid hand and leaned further until his rosy lips were resting against Kei's. And the blond boy sighed, feeling as if he had finally found his missing piece. Something clicked as soon as they kissed, and everything Kei could think of was how perfect they were for each other. Tadashi's lips tasted like fresh water, but not even that could cover their own flavor.

It was pure satisfaction to finally be able to touch Tadashi with all the romantic intentions he had been hiding. To touch his cheeks, slide his arms until they were resting at his waist, to feel the smell of his fragrance invading his nostrils; it was all Kei had ever wanted. He could feel a wave of self-pride speeding through his veins when Tadashi hummed against his lips. 

The best thing about Tadashi finding about his feelings was that it happened at the perfect place, at the perfect time. Under the stars, over the stars' reflexion and at their secret spot. Everything worked so well it was hard to believe. He did not even give a second thought to the fact Tadashi had actual magical powers sooner, how distracted he was. 

Tadashi's lips stretched into a smile against his, which annoyed Kei. He knew his best friend was still reading his thoughts, but he could do nothing about it. How does one refrain from thinking?  
"It's fine, I'll stop." Tadashi muttered, wrapping his hands around Kei's neck. 

With a resigned sigh, Kei grabbed Tadashi's wet hand and placed it on his cheek again, right after leaving a lonely kiss against his palm.  
To accept his own faith, that he was destined to love a gentle boy who could read his mind forever, Kei thought about everything he loved about that boy. It was a little bit difficult to imagine his usual conversations when he knew Tadashi was definitely reading, but he forced himself. 

"I don't know if the world will accept us as easily as we accept each other, but I don't care." It was hard to believe he was the one speaking those words. "I love you, Tadashi. I do. It's hard for me to speak about it, but I will if you wish."  
Tadashi blushed and pecked his lips. "You don't need to, I know. And you may not be able to read minds, but I can speak my thoughts for you. I love you too, Tsukki."

**Author's Note:**

> Finally, my first work here.  
> Thank you for reading and don't forget to leave a reaction if you have time. I'd love to know how to improve my work!  
> Find me on tumblr!  
> https://ellijlee-author.tumblr.com/  
> 


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